Tejas Navale

Pune: The monsoon officially entered the state on June 6, and in the last two days, Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad cities received a significant amount of rainfall. In the backdrop of the onset of monsoons in the state, the administration has warned that criminal action will be taken against contractor companies in cases of illegal road digging in the municipal limits during monsoons.

The administration has taken this decision to prevent accidents due to potholes in the monsoon. Furthermore, the administration has also created a new online website on the lines of the 'Sarathi' helpline to make it available for people to lodge complaints regarding dangerous trees within municipal limits. The administration has affirmed that the complaint regarding it will be settled within 24 hours.

In the city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, roads are excavated for various works, including laying pipelines for the water supply department, fibre networking, Mahadistribution, and MNGL. Continuation of such digging during monsoons leads to potholes, waterlogging, and obstruction of traffic, leading to a surge in accidents along with traffic jams.

Further, the administration has noticed that some contractors dig the road without obtaining permission from the Municipal Corporation. Frequent digging for service channels and subsequent substandard road repairs make it difficult for people to drive in the monsoon season. This is also one of the major reasons behind the increasing accident numbers in the city.

To avoid this, the administration had ordered to complete the works of water channels, drainage channels, rain gutters, internet and other cables, MNGL, and power lines on the main roads and busy roads of the city by May 15. Due to the expiration of the period, the digging licenses have also been closed. In the case of digging without permission during the monsoon, the administration has warned that a criminal case will be filed against the accused.

The Additional Commissioner of PCMC, Vijay Kumar Khorate, issued orders in this regard. Khorate said that uncompliance with the administration's order will lead to a criminal case against the accused.